“Some of my friends think I’m mad but I absolutely love it!” – Irene on volunteering during a pandemic
After leaving her job earlier in the year, Irene decided to pursue a great passion of hers – volunteering. No one could have predicted that within a few weeks she would be on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
“I’ve always loved volunteering – it’s allowed me to explore new corners of the world and help others in the process, so, when I was made redundant from my job at an exam board earlier this year, I knew straight away that I wanted to dedicate more time to it.
“Volunteering within a hospital has always appealed to me – I’ve been a patient in recent years so I understand the anxiety around visiting a health care setting and wanted to support others through it. The specialist nature of St Bartholomew’s also stood out, meaning it was high up on my list when I decided to apply for the volunteer scheme.
“I started in February of this year and quickly got to know the hospital and its staff – but no one could have seen the Covid-19 pandemic coming and, within just a few weeks, I was on the new temporary front desk, armed with my clipboard and mask, helping to screen visitors to see if they have any symptoms, reminding staff and patients to wash their hands and explaining the strict visiting restrictions we currently have in place.
“It’s never easy telling people that they can’t come in with, or to see, their loved ones – there have been a few difficult conversations over the past month but, on the whole, people understand it is for everyone’s safety.
“It’s upsetting, but it won’t last forever.
“When I started out I thought it would just be for a few hours a week, but it’s become something of a vocation – the rapport we’ve built up as a small team in the KGV building has been fantastic.
“When staff and visitors come by and remember your name, it gives you a great buzz.
“Some of my friends think I’m mad for volunteering in a hospital during a pandemic, but I absolutely love it and wouldn’t change it for any other job.
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Find out more about volunteering at Barts Health NHS Trust here.